JP4591254B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An image formation apparatus is provided that prevents a belt (18) from becoming displaced or detached from a belt unit (15). When a belt unit is detached from a main body casing, a tension roller (16) is fixed in an outwardly protruding position by a fixing member (551). Thereby, the conveyor belt (18) is stretched such that the conveyor belt is configured to be prevented from becoming displaced or detached. When the belt unit is mounted in the main body casing, fixation of the tension roller by the fixing member is released by a releasing protrusion (70) and a suitable operating tensile force is imparted to the conveyor belt by coiled springs (72) provided on the main body casing side.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, and more particularly to an apparatus having a removable belt unit.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, an image forming apparatus using an endless belt for conveying a sheet, performing intermediate transfer, or the like is known. Generally, such a belt can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body as a belt unit so that the belt can be replaced after use for a predetermined period. The belt unit is usually provided with tension applying means including a coil spring for applying tension to the belt by urging outwardly a tension roller that supports the belt and can be displaced inward and outward. On the other hand, in the thing of patent document 1, the tension | tensile_strength provision means is provided in the apparatus main body side, and when the belt unit is mounted in the apparatus main body, the tension application means urges the tension roller outward. Thus, a predetermined tension is applied to the belt. In this case, it is not necessary to provide tension applying means on the belt unit, so that the structure of the belt unit is simplified.
JP 2001-209294 A

  In the configuration as described in the above-mentioned patent document, conventionally, since the belt has been formed of a hard material such as polyamideimide, the change in the circumferential length of the belt was relatively small. For this reason, the movable range of the tension roller is small, and even when the belt unit is removed from the apparatus main body, the belt does not loosen greatly. However, recently, belts made of a softer material than ever have been increasingly used due to durability requirements. Such a belt is excellent in durability with respect to a conventional belt material such as polyamide-imide, but has a large change in belt circumferential length due to belt elongation and thermal expansion. When trying to use a belt made of such a soft material as described in the above-mentioned patent document, the movable range of the tension roller has to be increased in order to cope with the change in the belt circumference, and therefore the belt When the unit is removed from the apparatus main body, there is a problem that the slack of the belt becomes large, and the belt is easily displaced due to the positional displacement in the width direction.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object thereof is to prevent the belt from being displaced or detached from the belt unit.

As means for achieving the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 includes an endless belt, a plurality of rollers that support the belt in a stretched state, and the roller is rotatable. a belt unit having a frame for supporting, an image forming apparatus having an apparatus main body in which the belt unit Ru is detachably attached to said apparatus body, said in a state in which the belt unit is mounted Tension applying means for applying tension to the belt and not applying the tension in a state where the belt unit is removed is provided, and the belt unit is disposed on the inner peripheral surface side of the belt, and displaceable in the inward and outward relative to the belt, and in a state where the belt unit is detached from the apparatus main body, this projecting outwardly In having characterized in that the protruding member to tension the belt.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the belt unit according to the first aspect, in the state in which the belt unit is detached from the apparatus main body, the projecting member is urged outward by urging the projecting member outward. It is characterized in that biasing means for applying tension to the belt is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the tension applied to the belt by the biasing means is smaller than the tension applied to the belt by the tension applying means. Has characteristics.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an urging release means for releasing the urging force by the urging means in a state where the belt unit is mounted on the apparatus main body. It is characterized by

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourth aspect, the urging release means releases the urging by the urging means when the belt unit is attached to the apparatus main body. Have

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the belt unit can be fixed at a position where the projecting member projects outwardly in a state where the belt unit is detached from the apparatus main body. It is characterized in that it is equipped with an appropriate fixing means.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 6, there is provided fixing release means for releasing the fixing by the fixing means in a state where the belt unit is mounted on the apparatus main body. Have.

  The invention of claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 7, the fixing release means releases the fixing by the fixing means in accordance with the mounting operation of the belt unit to the apparatus main body.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the second to eighth aspects, the extension member is pressed by the tension applying means in a state where the belt unit is mounted on the apparatus main body. This is characterized in that it is constituted by a tension roller that applies tension to the belt.

  A tenth aspect of the present invention is the apparatus according to any one of the second to eighth aspects, wherein the projecting member is disposed opposite to the image carrier provided in the apparatus main body with the belt interposed therebetween, and It is characterized in that it is constituted by a transfer roller for transferring a developer image carried on the image carrier by applying a transfer bias between the image carrier and the image carrier.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to any one of the second to eighth aspects, the apparatus main body is provided with a cleaning roller that contacts the outer surface of the belt and cleans the belt. The ejecting member is characterized in that it is constituted by a cleaner backup roller disposed so as to face the cleaning roller and the belt.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the guide belt according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein a guide rib that engages with the roller and prevents the belt from skewing is projected on the inner peripheral surface of the belt. It is characterized by where it is installed.

<Invention of Claim 1>
When the belt unit is detached from the apparatus main body, the belt is stretched by the projecting member projecting outward, so that the belt can be prevented from being displaced or detached.

<Invention of Claim 2>
When the overhang member is urged outward by the urging means, tension is applied to the belt and the belt is held in a stretched state.

<Invention of Claim 3>
The tension applied to the belt by the biasing means is weaker than the tension applied by the tension applying means provided on the apparatus main body side, so that the belt unit is applied with a tension equivalent to the tension applying means. The structure of the belt unit can be simplified as compared with the case where the means is provided. That is, for example, the belt unit can be reduced in size by reducing the rigidity of the frame.

<Invention of Claim 4>
When the belt unit is mounted on the apparatus main body, the biasing means releases the urging force by the urging means, so that an appropriate tension is applied to the belt by the tension applying means.

<Invention of Claim 5>
The urging release means releases the urging force by the urging means when the belt unit is attached to the main body of the apparatus. Therefore, an operation for releasing the urging force is not necessary when the belt unit is attached. improves.

<Invention of Claim 6>
The belt is held in a stretched state by fixing the overhanging member at a position overhanging by the fixing means.

<Invention of Claim 7>
When the belt unit is mounted on the apparatus main body, the fixing member releases the fixing of the overhang member by the fixing releasing unit, so that an appropriate tension is applied to the belt by the tension applying unit.

<Invention of Claim 8>
The fixing release means releases the fixation of the overhanging member by the fixing means when the belt unit is attached to the apparatus main body, so that an operation for releasing the fixation of the overhanging member when the belt unit is attached becomes unnecessary. , Workability is improved.

<Invention of Claims 9 to 11>
Since the overhang member is not an exclusive component but is configured by existing components such as a tension roller, a transfer roller, or a cleaner backup roller, the configuration of the belt unit is simplified.

<Invention of Claim 12>
When guide ribs for preventing skew are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the belt, there is a risk that the guide rib may run on the roller or fall off if the belt loosens and slips laterally in a belt unit that is not applied with tension, for example There is. When the belt unit is mounted in such a state and tension is applied to the belt by the tension applying means, there is a step at the boundary between the range where the belt is directly in contact with the roller surface and the range where the belt is in contact with the rib. This can cause stress concentration in this area and damage the belt. On the other hand, in this configuration, when the belt unit is detached from the apparatus main body, the belt is stretched by the projecting member projecting outward, so that the state where the guide rib is engaged with the roller is maintained. Therefore, the belt is prevented from being damaged as described above.

<First Embodiment>
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
(Whole structure of laser printer)
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a laser printer 1 as an image forming apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the laser printer 1 in a state where a process cartridge 26 and a belt unit 15 are taken out. It is. In the following description, the right side in FIG.

  The laser printer 1 is a direct transfer tandem type color laser printer, and includes a substantially box-shaped main body casing 2 (corresponding to the apparatus main body of the present invention) as shown in FIG. A top cover 3 that can be opened and closed is provided on the top surface of the main casing 2. By opening the top cover 3, the process cartridge 26 and the belt unit 15 in the main casing 2 are opened as shown in FIG. 2. Exchange is possible. Further, a paper discharge tray 5 on which the paper 4 after image formation is stacked is formed on the upper surface of the upper cover 3.

  A paper feed tray 7 on which paper 4 for forming an image is loaded is attached to the lower portion of the main body casing 2 so as to be drawn forward. In the paper feed tray 7, there is provided a paper pressing plate 9 that can be tilted to lift the front end side of the paper 4 by the bias of the spring 8. In addition, a pickup roller 10 and a separation pad 11 that presses against the pickup roller 10 by biasing a spring (not shown) are provided at a position above the front end of the paper feed tray 7. Further, a pair of paper feed rollers 12 is provided obliquely in front of the pickup roller 10, and a pair of registration rollers 13 is provided thereabove.

  When the uppermost sheet 4 of the sheet feeding tray 7 is pressed toward the pickup roller 10 by the sheet pressing plate 9 and is sandwiched between the pickup roller 10 and the separation pad 11 by the rotation of the pickup roller 10, 1 is reached. Separated by sheet. Then, the paper 4 sent out between the pickup roller 10 and the separation pad 11 is sent to the registration roller 13 by the paper feed roller 12. The registration roller 13 feeds the paper 4 onto the rear belt unit 15 at a predetermined timing.

  The belt unit 15 is attachable to and detachable from the main casing 2 and includes a conveyor belt 18 that is horizontally installed between a pair of rollers 16 and 17 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The rear roller of the pair of rollers 16 and 17 is a drive roller 17 that is rotationally driven by the power of a motor (not shown), and the front roller is a tension for applying tension to the conveyor belt 18 as will be described later. A roller 16 (corresponding to the overhang member of the present invention). The transport belt 18 is an endless belt made of a resin material such as polycarbonate, and the drive roller 17 rotates and rotates in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. Transport to. Inside the conveyor belt 18, four transfer rollers 19 arranged to face each photosensitive drum 31 (corresponding to an image carrier of the present invention) included in a process cartridge 26 described later are provided at regular intervals in the front-rear direction. Thus, the conveyance belt 18 is sandwiched between the photosensitive drums 31 and the corresponding transfer rollers 19. At the time of transfer, a transfer bias is applied between the transfer roller 19 and the photosensitive drum 31. The configuration of the belt unit 15 will be described in detail later.

  A cleaning roller 21 is provided below the belt unit 15 to remove toner, paper dust, and the like attached to the conveyance belt 18. The cleaning roller 21 has a structure in which a foam material made of silicon is provided around a metal shaft member, and is opposed to the metal backup roller 22 provided in the belt unit 15 with the conveyance belt 18 interposed therebetween. Yes. A predetermined bias is applied between the cleaning roller 21 and the backup roller 22, whereby the toner and the like on the conveyor belt 18 are electrically attracted to the cleaning roller 21 side. Further, the cleaning roller 21 is in contact with a metal recovery roller 23 that removes toner or the like adhering to the surface, and the recovery roller 23 is a blade for scraping off the toner or the like adhering to the surface. 24 abuts.

  Above the belt unit 15, four process cartridges 26 corresponding to the colors magenta, yellow, cyan, and black are detachably mounted side by side in the front-rear direction. An attached scanner unit 27 is provided. The scanner unit 27 irradiates the surface of the corresponding photosensitive drum 31 with laser light L for each color based on predetermined image data at high speed.

  The process cartridge 26 includes a frame-shaped cartridge frame 30, a photosensitive drum 31 and a scorotron charger 32 provided at a lower portion of the cartridge frame 30, and a developing cartridge 34 that is detachably attached to the cartridge frame 30. It has.

  The photoconductor drum 31 includes a grounded metal drum body, and the surface layer thereof is covered with a positively chargeable photoconductive layer made of polycarbonate or the like.

  The scorotron charger 32 is disposed opposite to the photosensitive drum 31 at a predetermined interval so as not to come into contact with the photosensitive drum 31 in the diagonally upper rear side of the photosensitive drum 31. The scorotron charger 32 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 to positive polarity by generating corona discharge from a charging wire such as tungsten.

  The developing cartridge 34 has a substantially box shape, and a toner storage chamber 38 is provided in an upper portion thereof, and a supply roller 39, a developing roller 40, and a layer thickness regulating blade 41 are provided below the developing cartridge 34. Each toner storage chamber 38 stores, as a developer, positively chargeable nonmagnetic one-component toner of each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Each toner storage chamber 38 is provided with an agitator 42 for stirring the toner.

  The supply roller 39 is configured by coating a metal roller shaft with a conductive foam material, and the developing roller 40 is configured by coating the metal roller shaft with a conductive rubber material. Yes. The toner discharged from the toner storage chamber 38 is supplied to the developing roller 40 by the rotation of the supply roller 39 and is positively frictionally charged between the supply roller 39 and the developing roller 40. Further, the toner supplied onto the developing roller 40 enters between the layer thickness regulating blade 41 and the developing roller 40 with the rotation of the developing roller 40, where it is further sufficiently frictionally charged to have a constant thickness. It is carried on the developing roller 40 as a thin layer.

  The surface of the photosensitive drum 31 is first uniformly charged positively by the scorotron charger 32 when rotating. Thereafter, exposure is performed by high-speed scanning of laser light from the scanner unit 27, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be formed on the paper 4 is formed.

  Next, when the developing roller 40 rotates and the positively charged toner carried on the developing roller 40 comes into contact with and faces the photosensitive drum 31, a static image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 is formed. The electric latent image is supplied. As a result, the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 31 is visualized, and a toner image by reversal development is carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31.

  Thereafter, the toner image carried on the surface of each photosensitive drum 31 is transferred while the paper 4 conveyed by the conveying belt 18 passes through each transfer position between the photosensitive drum 31 and the transfer roller 19. The images are sequentially transferred onto the paper 4 by a negative transfer bias applied to the roller 19. The sheet 4 having the toner image transferred thereon is then conveyed to the fixing device 43.

  The fixing device 43 is disposed behind the conveyance belt 18 in the main body casing 2. The fixing device 43 includes a heating roller 44 that is rotationally driven with a heat source such as a halogen lamp, and a pressure roller 45 that is disposed below the heating roller 44 so as to face the heating roller 44 and is driven to rotate. It has. The fixing device 43 fixes the toner image on the paper 4 by heating the paper 4 carrying the four color toner images while nipping and conveying the paper 4 by the heating roller 44 and the pressure roller 45. The heat-fixed paper 4 is transported to a paper discharge roller 47 provided on the upper portion of the main body casing 2 by a transport roller 46 disposed obliquely above and rearward of the fixing device 43, and the paper discharge roller 47 performs the above-described operation. The paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 5.

(Belt unit structure)
3A and 3B are enlarged plan sectional views of the front end portion of the belt unit 15, and FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a state before the belt unit 15 is mounted on the main casing 2. FIG. These are sectional side views which show the state after attaching the belt unit 15 to the main body casing 2. FIG. 6A and 6B are side sectional views showing the operation of the fixing member 55 before and after mounting the belt unit 15 to the main casing 2.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the belt unit 15 includes a synthetic resin belt frame 50 (corresponding to the frame of the present invention) having a rectangular flat plate shape as a whole. The belt frame 50 includes a pair of left and right side walls 50A, and bearing members 17A mounted on both ends of the shaft portion of the drive roller 17 described above are supported at the rear ends of the side walls 50A. It is rotatably supported. A slide member 51 that can slide back and forth is provided at the front end portion of the side wall 50 </ b> A, and the bearing member 16 </ b> A attached to both ends of the shaft portion of the tension roller 16 is supported by the slide member 51. Thus, the tension roller 16 is supported so as to be displaceable and rotatable within a predetermined range in the front-rear direction. At both ends of the tension roller 16 and the driving roller 17, as shown in FIG. 3A, cylindrical guide collars 52 whose outer peripheral surfaces are recessed in steps are provided. Guide ribs 53 protrude from the both ends of the inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 18 over the entire circumference, the tension roller 16 is in the outward position, and the conveyor belt 18 is tightly stretched between the rollers 16 and 17. In the suspended state, each guide rib 53 is engaged with the outer surface of the guide collar 52 of the tension roller 16 and the drive roller 17 so that the skew (lateral shift) of the transport belt 18 is prevented. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the tension roller 16 is in the inward position and the conveyor belt 18 is slack, the guide rib 53 is lifted from the guide collar 52 of each of the rollers 16 and 17. The engaged state is disengaged, and the conveying belt 18 is easily displaced laterally.

  A fixing member 55 (corresponding to the fixing means of the present invention) for fixing the tension roller 16 is provided at the front end of the side wall 50A of the belt frame 50, as shown in FIG. The fixing member 55 is made of synthetic resin, and extends in the left-right direction from a mounting shaft 55A extending in the left-right direction, a fan portion 55B extending from the mounting shaft 55A to the front side in a substantially fan shape, and the lower end of the fan portion 55B. The guide shaft 55C is integrally provided, and is supported so as to be rotatable about the mounting shaft 55A. The guide shaft 55C is inserted into the groove portion 56 provided on the side wall 50A, and the fixing member 55 is moved from the fixed position where the guide shaft 55C is located at the lower end of the groove portion 56 (see FIG. 6A) to the guide shaft 55C. Is displaceable up to the release position (see FIG. 6B) located at the upper end of the groove portion 56. When the fixing member 55 is in the fixing position, the tip of the fan portion 55B is engaged with the rear side of the slide member 51, and the tension roller 16 is fixed at a position near the front end. In this state, the conveyor belt 18 is stretched between the rollers 16 and 17 with almost no slack. Further, when the fixing member 55 is in the release position, the fan 55B is retracted upward from the rear side of the slide member 51, so that the tension roller 16 can be displaced back and forth. A spring 57 is attached around the attachment shaft 55 </ b> A, and the fixing member 55 is always urged toward the fixing position by the spring 57.

  A roller shaft insertion hole 58 through which the roller shaft 19A of the transfer roller 19 is inserted is provided on the side wall 50A of the belt frame 50. The roller shaft insertion hole 58 has a substantially rectangular shape, and the vertical and front-back dimensions thereof are larger than the outer diameter of the roller shaft 19A. When the belt unit 15 is removed from the main casing 2, The roller shaft 19 </ b> A can be displaced in the radial direction (vertical front and rear direction) within the range of the roller shaft insertion hole 58.

(Structure inside main casing)
On the other hand, a metal main body frame (not shown) is provided in the main body casing 2, and the main body frame is provided with drive rollers 17 at both left and right positions of the belt unit 15 as shown in FIG. 4. Further, unit support portions 59 and 60 made of synthetic resin for supporting both end portions of the tension roller 16 are attached to the front and rear. The rear unit support portion 60 has a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens upward, and an elastically deformable cross-section securing member 61 that protrudes inward is provided in the opening. As shown in FIG. 5, the unit support portion 60 is fitted with a bearing tool 17 </ b> A attached to the end of the drive roller 17, and the bearing tool 17 </ b> A is prevented from being detached by the retaining bracket 61, thereby driving roller 17 is held in the positioning state. Further, the front unit support portion 59 has a horizontal surface with a constant upper surface, and the tension roller 16 is moved in the height direction by placing a bearing tool 16A attached to the end of the tension roller 16 on the upper surface. Supported in a positioned state.

  In the main casing 2, a pair of levers 70 that can rotate around the rotation shaft 71 and a pair of coil springs 72 that urge the levers 70 in the clockwise direction in the figure are provided (the lever 70. And the coil spring 72 correspond to the tension applying means of the present invention). When the bearing device 16A of the tension roller 16 is placed on the front unit support portion 59, the bearing device 16A presses the upper end portion of the lever 70 to the rear side, and the coil spring 72 enters an extended state, and its elastic restoring force. As a result, the bearing 16A is urged forward, and tension is applied to the conveyor belt 18. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), a release protrusion 73 (in the present invention) that displaces the guide shaft 55C of the fixing member 55 upward (that is, the release position side) when the belt unit 15 is mounted. Equivalent to the fixing release means).

  A pair of left and right bearing members 63 for supporting the roller shaft 19 </ b> A of the transfer roller 19 are attached to the main body frame in the main body casing 2 in correspondence with each transfer roller 19. Each bearing member 63 includes a groove-shaped bearing groove 64 that opens upward, and the roller shaft 19A is rotatably supported by fitting the end of the roller shaft 19A into the bearing groove 64 from above. . A guide surface 65 for guiding the roller shaft 19 </ b> A into the bearing groove 64 is formed at the opening edge of the bearing groove 64. Each bearing member 63 is attached to be displaceable in the vertical direction, and is held in a positioning state with respect to the main body frame in the front-rear and left-right directions. Each bearing member 63 is urged upward by a spring 66 attached to the lower side thereof.

(Operation when attaching / detaching the belt unit)
When exchanging the transport belt 18 or the like, as shown in FIG. 2, the belt unit 15 is taken out from the main casing 2 with the top cover 3 opened and each process cartridge 26 taken out. In a state where the belt unit 15 is removed from the main casing 2, the fixing member 55 is displaced to the fixing position by the bias of the spring 57 and is locked to the rear side of the slide member 51, as shown in FIG. For this reason, the tension roller 16 is fixed at a position protruding to the rear side. For this reason, the conveyor belt 18 is stretched between the rollers 16 and 17 with almost no slack.

  In order to mount the removed belt unit 15 in the main casing 2, the belt unit 15 is lowered in a horizontal posture as shown in FIG. While pushing inward, the bearing tools 16A at both ends of the tension roller 16 are placed on the unit support portion 59. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, the belt unit 15 is held in a horizontal posture by the front and rear unit support portions 59 and 60. In this process, the roller shaft 19 </ b> A of each transfer roller 19 is guided to the guide surface 65, and both ends thereof are fitted into the bearing grooves 64 of the bearing member 63. Thereby, each transfer roller 19 is positioned in the front-rear direction. Further, the bearing tool 16A presses the upper end portion of the lever 70 rearward and is biased forward by the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 72, so that the transport belt 18 is stretched with a predetermined tension. Thereafter, when each process cartridge 26 is mounted above the belt unit 15, each transfer roller 19 is pressed downward against the urging force of the spring 66 by the photosensitive drum 31. Are also positioned.

(Effect of this embodiment)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the belt unit 15 is removed from the main casing 2, the tension roller 16 projects outward and the conveyor belt 18 is stretched. It can be prevented from being displaced or detached.

  Further, by fixing the tension roller 16 at a position protruding outward by the fixing member 55, the conveying belt 18 is held in a stretched state.

  Further, when the belt unit 15 is mounted on the main casing 2, the fixing roller 55 releases the fixing of the tension roller 16 by the release protrusion 73, so that the coil belt 72 provided on the main casing 2 side is suitable for the conveying belt 18. Tension is applied.

  Further, the release protrusion 73 releases the fixation of the tension roller 16 by the fixing member 55 and releases the fixation of the tension roller 16 when the belt unit 15 is attached in accordance with the attachment operation of the belt unit 15 to the main body casing 2. This eliminates the need for the operation and improves workability.

  Further, when the belt unit 15 is removed from the main casing 2, the extending member that extends outwardly and stretches the conveying belt 18 is configured by existing components such as the tension roller 16. The configuration of 15 is simplified.

  Further, in the case where the guide rib 53 for preventing skew is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the transport belt 18, if the transport belt 18 is slackened and laterally displaced, the guide rib 53 may ride on the guide collar 52 or fall off. When the belt unit 15 is mounted in this state and tension is applied to the conveyor belt 18 by the coil spring 72, the area where the conveyor belt 18 is in direct contact with the roller surface and the area where the conveyor belt 18 is in contact via the guide rib 53. There is a possibility that a step is generated at the boundary between the two and a stress concentration occurs in this portion and the conveyor belt 18 is damaged. On the other hand, in this configuration, when the belt unit 15 is removed from the main casing 2, the tension roller 16 projects outward to stretch the transport belt 18, so that the guide rib 53 is attached to the guide collar 52. The engaged state is maintained, so that the conveyor belt 18 is prevented from being damaged as described above.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the belt unit 80 of the present embodiment is removed from the main casing 2, and FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the belt unit 80 is attached to the main casing 2. In the following description, configurations that are different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and configurations having the same functions as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

  The belt unit 80 of the present embodiment replaces the fixing member 55 and the spring 57 of the first embodiment with a biasing means 81 for biasing the backup roller 22 (corresponding to the overhang member of the present invention) outward. It has. A pair of urging means 81 are provided at the left and right end positions of the backup roller 22, and each includes a first support member 82, a second support member 83, a spring 84 and a spring 85. The first support member 82 is rotatably provided around an attachment shaft 82A attached to the lower portion of the belt frame 50, and is biased downward (clockwise in the drawing) by a spring 84. The second support member 83 has one end rotatably attached to the attachment shaft 82A of the first support member 82, and rotatably supports the backup roller 22 on the other end (free end side). ing. The second support member 83 is biased downward (clockwise in the figure) by a spring 85 provided between the first support member 82 and the first support member 82 when no external force is applied. It will be in the state contact | abutted to the stopper part 82B which has.

  In a state where the belt unit 80 is removed from the main casing 2, the backup roller 22 is held at a position protruding downward from the bottom surface of the belt frame 50 by the urging means 81 as shown in FIG. By being urged, it is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 18, whereby the conveyor belt 18 is stretched without slack. At this time, the slide member 51 supporting the bearing 16A of the tension roller 16 is pressed against the rear end position of the movable range by the conveyor belt 18. Further, the tension applied to the transport belt 18 by the biasing means 81 is made smaller than the tension applied from the coil spring 72 when the main body casing 2 is mounted, and at least the transport belt 18 is not loosened, that is, the guide rib 53 is guided. The size is such that it does not float from the collar 52.

  When the belt unit 80 is attached to the main casing 2, the cleaning roller 21 provided in the main casing 2 comes into contact with the backup roller 22 via the conveyor belt 18 and pushes up the backup roller 22 in the mounting process. Similarly, along with the mounting operation of the belt unit 15, an urging release protrusion 86 (corresponding to the urging release means of the present invention) provided in the main body casing 2 comes into contact with the lower end portion of the first support member 82, The first support member 82 is pushed up. As shown in FIG. 8, when the belt unit 80 is mounted at the proper position, the backup roller 22 is substantially retracted above the bottom surface of the belt frame 50, and cleaning is performed by the bias of the spring 85. The roller 21 is pressed. As a result, the urging of the conveying belt 18 by the urging means 81 is released. The bearing 16A of the tension roller 16 receives the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 72 and is urged forward as described above, so that a predetermined tension is applied to the transport belt 18.

According to the present embodiment, the back-up roller 22 is urged outward by the urging means 81, whereby tension is applied to the transport belt 18 and the transport belt 18 is held in a stretched state.
The tension applied to the conveyor belt 18 by the urging means 81 is weaker than the tension applied by the coil spring 72 provided on the main body casing 2 side, so that a tension equivalent to the coil spring 72 is applied to the belt unit 15. The structure of the belt unit 15 can be simplified as compared with the case where the biasing means is provided. That is, for example, the belt unit 15 can be reduced in size by reducing the rigidity of the belt frame 50.

  Further, when the belt unit 15 is mounted on the main casing 2, the urging force is released from the urging means 81 by the urging release protrusions 86, so that appropriate tension is applied to the transport belt 18 by the coil spring 72.

  Further, since the urging release projection 86 releases the urging by the urging means 81 in accordance with the mounting operation of the belt unit 80, an operation for releasing the urging is not required, and workability is improved.

Further, when the belt unit 15 is removed from the main casing 2, the projecting member that projects outward and stretches the conveyor belt 18 is configured by existing components such as the backup roller 22 instead of the dedicated components. Therefore, the configuration of the belt unit 15 is simplified.
Note that the belt outer biasing by the spring 84 is released when the entire first support member 82 is pushed into the belt unit 15 by the bias release protrusion 86, and the backup roller 22 is cleaned by the second support member 83 and the spring 85. 21 is energized. The spring 84 has a smaller urging force than the coil spring 72 due to the relationship between space and required load, but it does not require a large force and there are not many positive reasons to be small.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the belt unit 90 of the present embodiment is removed from the main casing 2, and FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the belt unit 90 is attached to the main casing 2. In the following description, configurations that are different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and configurations having the same functions as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

The belt unit 90 of the present embodiment includes an urging means 91 for urging the transfer roller 19 (corresponding to the overhang member of the present invention) outward instead of the fixing member 55 and the spring 57 of the first embodiment. I have. The biasing means 91 is provided at the left and right end positions of each transfer roller 19 and includes a first support member 92, a second support member 93, a spring 94, and a spring 95, respectively. The first support member 92 is provided so as to be rotatable about an attachment shaft 92A attached to the belt frame 50, and is urged upward (counterclockwise in the figure) by a spring 94. The first support member 92 includes a guide pin 92B extending laterally below the attachment shaft 92A. The second support member 93 has an attachment shaft 93A provided at one end thereof rotatably attached to the lower side of the attachment shaft 92A of the first support member 92, and the other end (free end side). The transfer roller 19 is rotatably supported. The second support member 93 is biased upward (counterclockwise direction in the drawing) by a spring 95 provided between the first support member 92 and the first support member when no external force is applied. It will be in the state contact | abutted to the stopper part 92C which 92 has.
On the other hand, the main body casing 2 is provided with a link lever 97 (corresponding to the bias release means of the present invention) that can slide back and forth. On the lower surface of the front end of the link lever 97, an operation portion 97A is projected. Further, on the upper surface of the link lever 97, a pin engaging portion 97B that can be engaged so as to sandwich the guide pin 92B of each first support member 92 from the front and rear is provided.

  In a state where the belt unit 90 is removed from the main casing 2, the transfer roller 19 is held at a position protruding above the upper surface of the belt frame 50 by the urging means 91 as shown in FIG. By being urged, it is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 18, whereby the conveyor belt 18 is stretched without slack. At this time, the slide member 51 supporting the bearing 16A of the tension roller 16 is pressed against the rear end position of the movable range by the conveyor belt 18.

  When the belt unit 90 is mounted at the normal position of the main casing 2, each guide pin 92 </ b> B engages with the pin engaging portion 97 </ b> B of the link lever 97. Therefore, when the operation portion 97A is pressed and the link lever 97 is slid rearward, each guide pin 92B moves to the front side. As a result, the first support member 92 and the second support member 93 rotate downward about the mounting shaft 92 </ b> A, and the transfer rollers 19 descend to substantially retract downward from the upper surface of the belt frame 50 ( Exactly, the upper end portion of the transfer roller 19 projects slightly above the upper surface of the belt frame 50). As a result, the urging means 91 releases the urging force to the conveying belt 18, and the tension roller 16 receives the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 72 and is urged forward, so that the conveying belt 18 has a predetermined tension. Is granted. Subsequently, when each process cartridge 26 is mounted above the belt unit 90, the transfer roller 19 is slightly pushed down by the photosensitive drum 31, and is pressed against the photosensitive drum 31 by the bias of the spring 95.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the overhang member is not an exclusive part but an existing part such as the transfer roller 19, so that the configuration of the belt unit 15 is simplified.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a laser printer 100 as an image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the laser printer 100 in a state where the process cartridge 26 and the belt unit 101 are taken out. It is. In the following description, the right side in FIG.
The laser printer 100 according to this embodiment is an intermediate transfer tandem color laser printer using an intermediate transfer belt 106. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The laser printer 100 includes a belt unit 101 that can be attached to and detached from the main casing 2. The belt unit 101 includes a belt frame 102 made of an insulating synthetic resin material and having a substantially triangular shape when viewed from the side. A driving roller 103, a tension roller 104 (corresponding to the overhanging member of the present invention), and a driven roller 105 are provided at the front end, rear end, and lower end of the belt frame 102, respectively, and intermediate transfer is performed by these rollers 103, 104, and 105. A belt 106 is stretched. A secondary transfer roller 107 is provided below the belt unit 101 so as to be opposed to the driven roller 105 at the lower end of the belt frame 102 with the intermediate transfer belt 106 interposed between the secondary transfer roller 107 and the driven roller 105. A secondary transfer bias is applied. In the laser printer 100, the toner images formed on the four photosensitive drums 31 are temporarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 106 for four colors, and then the paper 4 is transferred between the secondary transfer roller 107 and the intermediate transfer belt 106. The toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 106 is transferred onto the paper 4 when passing through the press contact position.

  A slide member 107 slidable back and forth is provided at the rear end portion of the belt frame 102, and the bearing member 104 </ b> A attached to both ends of the shaft portion of the tension roller 104 is supported by the slide member 107. The slide member 107 is biased outward (backward) by a spring 108 (corresponding to the biasing means of the present invention).

In the state where the belt unit 101 is mounted on the main casing 2, the tension roller 104 is urged outward by the urging force of the coil spring 72 and the spring 108 as shown in FIG. It is stretched with a predetermined tension.
When the belt unit 101 is removed from the main casing 2, the tension roller 104 is urged outwardly by the spring 108 and protrudes as shown in FIG. It becomes a state. At this time, the tension applied to the conveyor belt 18 by the spring 108 is set to be smaller than the tension applied by the coil spring 72 when the main body casing 2 is mounted. For this reason, the rigidity of the belt frame 102 can be reduced and the size of the belt unit 101 can be reduced as compared with a case where the belt unit 101 is provided with an urging unit that applies a tension equal to that of the coil spring 72.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In each of the above-described embodiments, the projecting member is configured by an existing component such as a tension roller. However, according to the present invention, the projecting member may be configured by a dedicated component. good.
(2) In each of the above-described embodiments, the belt of the belt unit is configured as a conveyance belt or an intermediate transfer belt. However, the present invention can also be applied to a belt configured as a photosensitive belt. .

1 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a laser printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Side sectional view of the laser printer with the belt unit removed (A) Partial enlarged plan sectional view of the belt unit showing a state where the conveyor belt is normally stretched (B) Partial enlarged plan sectional view of the belt unit showing a state where the conveyor belt is lifted Side sectional view showing a state before the belt unit is mounted. Side sectional view showing the state after the belt unit is mounted (A) Partial enlarged side view showing a state before the belt unit is attached (B) Partial enlarged side view showing a state after the belt unit is attached Partial expanded side sectional view which shows the state before mounting | wearing of the belt unit in 2nd Embodiment. Partially enlarged side sectional view showing a state after the belt unit is mounted Partial expanded side sectional view which shows the state before mounting | wearing of the belt unit in 3rd Embodiment. Partially enlarged side sectional view showing a state after the belt unit is mounted Side sectional view which shows schematic structure of the laser printer in 4th Embodiment. Side sectional view of the laser printer with the belt unit removed

1,100 ... Laser printer (image forming device)
2. Body casing (device body)
15, 80, 90, 101 ... belt unit 16, 104 ... tension roller (roller, overhang member)
17, 103 ... Driving roller (roller)
18 ... Conveyor belt (belt)
19. Transfer roller (overhang member)
21 ... Cleaning roller 22 ... Backup roller (overhang member)
31. Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
50, 102 ... Belt frame (frame)
53 ... guide rib 55 ... fixing member (fixing means)
70 ... Lever (Tensioning means)
72 ... Coil spring (tensioning means)
73 ... Release protrusion (fixing release means)
81, 91 ... biasing means 85 ... bias release protrusion (bias release means)
97 ... Link lever (biasing release means)
105 ... driven roller (roller)
106 ... Intermediate transfer belt (belt)
108 ... spring (biasing means)

Claims (12)

A belt unit having an endless belt, a plurality of rollers that support the belt in a stretched state, and a frame that rotatably supports the roller;
An image forming apparatus having an apparatus main body in which the belt unit Ru is detachably mounted,
The apparatus main body is provided with tension applying means for applying tension to the belt in a state in which the belt unit is mounted and not applying the tension in a state in which the belt unit is removed.
The belt unit is disposed on the inner peripheral surface side of the belt, is displaceable inward and outward with respect to the belt, and stretches outward in a state where the belt unit is detached from the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a projecting member that stretches the belt by being pulled out. The belt unit is provided with urging means for applying tension to the belt by urging the projecting member outward in a state where the belt unit is detached from the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a tension applied to the belt by the urging unit is smaller than a tension applied to the belt by the tension applying unit. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an urging release unit configured to release the urging by the urging unit in a state where the belt unit is attached to the apparatus main body. 5. apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the urging release unit releases the urging by the urging unit when the belt unit is attached to the apparatus main body. 2. The belt unit according to claim 1, further comprising fixing means that can be fixed at a position where the protruding member protrudes outward in a state in which the belt unit is detached from the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus described. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a fixing release unit that releases the fixing by the fixing unit in a state where the belt unit is mounted on the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the fixing release unit releases the fixing by the fixing unit when the belt unit is attached to the apparatus main body. The overhang member includes a tension roller that applies tension to the belt by being pressed by the tension applying unit in a state where the belt unit is mounted on the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2. The projecting member is disposed opposite to the image carrier provided in the apparatus main body with the belt interposed therebetween, and is supported on the image carrier by applying a transfer bias between the image carrier and the image carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a transfer roller that transfers the developer image to be transferred. The apparatus main body is provided with a cleaning roller that contacts the outer surface of the belt to clean the belt, and the overhanging member is constituted by a cleaner backup roller that is disposed to face the cleaning roller with the belt interposed therebetween. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The image according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a guide rib that protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the belt to engage the roller and prevent the belt from skewing is provided. Forming equipment.

Images